30" Custom DIY MH/PC Hood

Flame Angel

New Member
I recently bought a Zoo Med 30" Reptile combo light at my Petco on clearance for $17...it was originally $70. Since I don't have reptiles...lol...it was too good of a deal to pass up, especially since it was the last one...I plan on stripping the electronic components out of it and using the shell (and maybe some of the wiring...not sure yet...to install a 250w MH bulb, preferably a DE, and two 50/50 PC bulbs, then hang it like a big pendant over a 20L.

Anyone have any suggestions as to how I should go about doing this? And good sites I should check out for deals?

-Flame
 

Flame Angel

New Member
Here are some pics of the internal wiring for those who intend on keeping track of this project...












I'll post more as I work on it.

-Flame
 

Flame Angel

New Member
Von over at nano-reef.com was nice enough to plan me out a diagram as to how I'd wire this thing, so here it is...



Seems very simple and uncluttered, which is what I want :wink:

-Flame
 

djconn

New Member
Looking good Flame. Got any updates? You still doing the MH/PC combo in it?

That was a nice buy for $17.
 

just dave

New Member
As it was explained to me. DE HQI bulbs are in a enclosed fixture for reasons other 'n to keep harmful UV wave lengths contained and filterd through the glass lens ( though that is one of the reasons.) It is because it must reach a certain operating temperature to achieve the correct color temp it was designed to produce. The couple of HQI fixtures I've seen, that had the HQI and actinic bulbs in combination and had fans , had the HQI bulb isolated/enclosed from the rest of the fixture. This way the air space in the fixture was ventilated without cooling the HQI bulb. A open fixture certainly does not keep the bulb from operating,it just may not allow it to operate as efficiently as it was designed to do.
 
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